Convicted math teacher rejoins school where he harassed girls

Highlights

The management of the aided school said it was waiting for the state education department’s instructions

A special court convicted him on August 13, sentencing him to three years in prison, but he obtained bail the same day.

A school trustee cited labour and legal issues in a lengthy explanation for not stopping the teacher from resuming work.

A maths teacher convicted for sexually harassing students at an Andheri school has returned to take classes there, barely two months after the court declared the guilty verdict under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The management of the aided school said it was waiting for the state education department’s instructions — whether the teacher, who is out on bail, should be sacked immediately or if the action should be taken only after a higher court confirms the verdict. Government officials Mirror contacted on Wednesday gave no indication that a decision on his employment would be taken swiftly. The seemingly laid-back approach is bound to draw criticism at a time when the #MeToo movement is pressing for harassers to be called out and punished promptly.

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The mathematics teacher was accused of sexually harassing around three girl students. A special court convicted him on August 13, sentencing him to three years in prison, but he obtained bail the same day.

“When I went to school on August 18, I was shocked to see him there. I went to the police to seek protection,” said the school principal, who fought a long battle, at times against the management, to expose the teacher. She was the complainant in the case.

The principal has forwarded the judgment copy to the office of the deputy director of education, and has also sought the intervention of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The commission has demanded an action-taken report from the Bandra collector and deputy director of education, Mumbai.

A school trustee cited labour and legal issues in a lengthy explanation for not stopping the teacher from resuming work. “We are waiting for a reply from the education department on how we should proceed. If the teacher has to be terminated, he will be terminated. If the department gives us the go-ahead, we will do it,” the trustee said.

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While the management claims it is following procedure in the case of a convicted teacher, it was quick to sack the principal when she filed a police complaint against him. She had to pursue draining legal action to get her job back.

“If we sack the teacher immediately, he may say the action is illegal and the education department may not support us. We want to do things the right way. We don’t want to jump (the gun) and create problems for the school,” the trustee said. “The teacher might file an appeal against his conviction. We have to wait till everything is clear. We cannot take arbitrary decisions.”

The trustee said the Maharashtra Employees of Private Schools (Conditions of Service) Rules, 1981, had tied the school’s hands. Section 33 (6) of the law prevents the management from initiating any action till the lower court’s decision is confirmed by the higher court.

On when the education department might issue directions, the trustee said: “You know how the department works. There have been instances where they responded to our applications after two years.”

Rajendra Ahire, deputy director of education, refused to discuss the case or the service rules. “I do not want to comment on sub judice matters,” he said, directing Mirror to Anil Sable, education inspector for Mumbai West.

Writer-comedian Varun Grover, against whom allegations of sexual harassment were levelled by his junior from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), has “completely, totally, categorically” denied he has harassed the woman concerned.

Sable said he had not received any communication from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. “Have they (the school) asked for our permission? I will check and let you know tomorrow (Thursday) evening,” he said.

The way the entire issue has played out has left the principal dejected. “I stood up for the victims. Principals in many schools don’t do it because they are afraid they would be made scapegoats later,” she said. “Some people had suggested to me that I should have remained silent. I have been felicitated for my fight on different forums, but the teacher is back and it all feels like mockery.”